Rating: 
Summary: A wild and crazy guy...with stunning talent
Review: Ladies, who among us doesn't know a man who thinks the pleasure of his company is all we need to complete our reason for living? Steve Martin has written a book that so succintly describes a man who thinks he knows exactly how to attract a woman one feels exasperated by Daniel, and sorry for him at the same time. When he dresses to go jogging with Brian the Jock in loafers, khaki slacks and a white dress shirt, I was totally lost. This stud is a quintessential nerd, and obsessive/compulsive to boot. But I was completely taken by him and his unconfident confidence. Somehow all the people in his life, including the ones in his head, help Daniel make the final push out of his trap of OCD and into real life. Once there, he finds love, real this time, without too much trouble or planning. What a wonderful writer Steve Martin is!
Rating: 
Summary: Martin's hero is a nut, and not just a "Pecan".
Review: I can't say I really enjoyed "The Pleasure of My Company", and much preferred Martin's first work, "Shopgirl". I'm not sure that many people would read this book, if it weren't for the author's fame in comedy. But it is worth a read, particularly if you know someone that has OCD, which generally escalates as people reach the age where they have to begin their own, independent lives. Martin has a light touch with his humor, although he has difficulty with the resolution of his stories, preferring to paint the characters in depth, and then just fade away. Since he can do that in comedy, but not in novels, he is not as successful here. The hero of Steve Martin's new novel (novella? only 163 pages) suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and has a tad of the autistic savant thrown in for good measure. Daniel's somehow ended up living alone in Santa Monica... "Santa Monica, California, where I live, is a perfect town for invalids, homosexuals, show people, and all other formerly peripheral members of society. Average is not the norm here." Living alone, Daniel doesn't have a job anymore, although he used to use his skills as a math wizard at Hewlett-Packard, where he was employed as a business communique encoder. He had to leave that job when he weaned himself off his meds and he could no longer allow himself to create a code whose ultimate end was to be decoded. Now Daniel lives on public assistance, with help from periodic cash infusions from his Granny. There are several wonderful treatises on Daniel's trips to the Rite-Aid, which is "splendidly antiseptic". We suffer through his neuroses every time he steps outside his apartment, in trips which must be planned perfectly, to not upset his equilibrium. Much of his inner voicing is consumed with his attraction to a variety of females who slide in and out of the periphery of his existence. Martin has a writing style that throws out the edge of Daniel's obsessions in a disarming way. "The next morning, I decided to touch every corner of every copying machine at Kinko's...", and he treats his hero gently, with feeling. Somewhat funny, and somewhat poignant, Daniel's life escalates quickly at the end of the book, in an almost too pat fashion, but then, without the happy ending, it would be pointless to explore Daniel's world and walk away unhappy. Recommended with reservations - don't expect it to be wildly funny. If you have or know someone with OCD, it offers a rare insight through humor.
Rating:
Summary: The pleasure of the plesure of my company
Review: This novel is clearly a masterpiece. I consider this as much a letter to Mr. Martin as a review. There was a review I read that mentioned Mr. Cambrige's mental illness is not funny therefore the book was not that good and not well written. Well I certainly agree mental illness is not funny but I have gone through mental illness for over twenty years and I have tried everything short of ridiculus pyshiatric drugs. This book is a God send. It did'nt make me laugh at my ailment but it did certainly loosen me up about it. To give one example of my troubles: I am a writer but I am severally intimidated by other writers so I only allow myself to read John Steinbeck because even though he intimidates the hell out of me he is suppose to - because he is a master- and I can accept that. Well I picked up Mr. Martin's book and not knowing he even wrote books and thought I would give it a shot. I felt I was safe, I mean how 'good' could he be? I mean for Christ's sake he's a knucklehead! After the first few pages I knew I was in trouble. How could I compete as a writer, he is amazing, no astonishing is a better word. So I had this dilema, how am I going to continue writing when there is someone so much better than me? So heres what I did, I considered him a master story teller like Steinbeck and therefore he is my teacher, I can learn form him and not lose a boat load of confidence. Steve Martin is that good of a writer period. And this book of his is a masterpiece. Now I only read Steve Martin And John Steinbeck. But what do I know, I'm crazy!
Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: I loved Shop Girl and was anxious to read Martin's second novel, "The Pleasure of My Company". The title is perfect for the book. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book.
Steve Martin does a great job of putting you into the life of Daniel and understanding what he goes through day after day.
A very enjoyable read. Please write another book soon!
Rating:
Summary: Typical Steve Martin...and FANTASTIC!
Review: I liked this creative, quirky book. We get inside the mind of Daniel Pecan Cambridge who has way too much time on his hands to sit around the house and think about things. Normally, when a book is written in the first person, the first person is normal, average. It's like when your friend is telling you his or her story. You're getting your friend's side of things and it doesn't occur to you that your friend is wrong or crazy. Daniel Pecan Cambridge is off. He's delusional. But you're getting his side of the story, so you empathize with him. Because he's sane about his insanity. Because, in spite of his quirks and idiosyncracies that seem really out there, we all have our individual quirks that others think are weird, so we relate to Daniel. So we like Daniel.
Rating:
Summary: OC DELICIOUS!
Review: Daniel Pecan is weird and quirky and narcissistic to some degree. But you love him immediately.
Steve says he took more risks writing this book. I saw him at the NYC book fair when he spoke. And I could definately see that he went out a limb. May be we are getting closer to a glimpse at Martin himself.
The women are still written beautifully. He knows us so well, it is almost like he must have the power to enter our minds at times. (See Shopgirl)
Martin is really very humble in person. One of the nicest celebs I have encountered. You could tell when he switched into a character he had played and he seemed more comfortable there than as himself.
Sad, cause who would not want to be you Steve? King Tutt was brilliant. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles!
I am just glad you are still sharing! Thank you for the glimpses.
Rating: 
Summary: I didn't know he could write.
Review: Good story. Main character is crazy. I laughed out loud 4 or five times, two times uncontrolably ( I wish this thing had spell check). He can write.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding how the mind works
Review: Knowing and loving someone with OCD I found this book like looking into a mirror of my life. I think anyone that has had a relationship with a person who's life is challenged by this disorder will find that Steve Martin's story helps in understanding how the mind of your loved one works, and how strangth can be found in the smallest things to fight the biggest battles (like curbs). I thank Mr. Martin for writting this book and giveing others a look at what life is like for many living in a world controlled by obsessive thoughts and the peopel that love them.
Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: OK, I'm the only guy in the world that will confess that I didn't used to find Steve Martin funny. I thought his "wild and crazy guys" skit was silly and actually walked out of "The Man With Two Brains." Now, years later, I find him to be a smart writer. I live about 100 miles south of LA but this book gives a great flavor of what it must be like to be an obsessive compulsive in LA. Daniel Pecan Cambridge is the main character; he needs you to know about the wattage in his apartment, about the curbs in his neighborhood, and what makes him average. In all of this I found him to be endearing and was actually rooting for him in his romances. This is one of those rare books that sucks you in and makes you feel like a friend.
Rating:
Summary: Quirky and quick
Review: First off, this book is not Shopgirl. That is, for me, it didn't leave the same indelible impression that the comic genius' first novella left me with. It is a remarkably quick read, and contained passages that had me laughing out loud. One particular passage that has stayed with me had to do with seeing someone -- a non-comedian -- actually do a double take in real life. The book left me with an undeniable impression of the pain that a neurotic, obsessive-compulsive guy must feel every day. That being said, I think Mr. Martin took some easy ways out to end the story. I don't want to give anything away; I'll just say that for a story so unconventional in its ability to make entertaining pages and pages of describing someone who has trouble doing anything, I felt neither the tremendous change that would have been necessary to justify the main characters sudden ability to act, nor the subtle build up to said action. This book, nonetheless, made me laugh and laugh hard, and for that, I am grateful.
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